Thread cutter for weft-replenishing looms



Jun 24, 1930. s. A. NELSON 1,756,751

THREAD CUTTER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING' LOOMS Filed April 10. 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOW SAMUE LA. NHL-SO N June 24, 1930. s NELSON 1,766,761

THREAD CUTTER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed April 10. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTO'FE SAMUEL A NELSON Patented June 24.1 1 49 pairs srarns ATENT .FFlE

SAMUEL A. NELSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM \VORKS, OF WORCESTER, MIASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS THREAD CUTTER FOB WEFT-REPLENISHING LOOMS Application filed April 10,

This invention relates to a thread cutter for automatic looms of the type in which a plurality of shuttle boxes are provided at the weft replenishing end of the loom. In such looms one or more inactive shuttles may be boxed at the weft replenishing end, and the difficulty of severing the weft connected to the outgoing bobbin is increased by the presence of the additional inactive weft ends.

It is the object of my invention to provide a thread cutting mechanism which will grasp and sever the out-going weft end as soon as possible after the shuttle passes the cutter, and before the weft becomes closely associated with the additional and inactive weft ends.

Further objects of my invention are the provision of means by which the cutter may be controlled by the weft detecting mechanism, and means for immediately re-setting the control connections after a single operation of the cutter.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig. i is a plan view of the weft detecting end of a loom embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation, taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of my improved cutting mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of certain parts;

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation, looking 111 the direction of the arrow 5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 a detail sectional view, taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic sectional side elevation, taken substantially along the line 77 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views, but showing the parts in different successive positions; and

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view, taken along the line 10-10 in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, 1 have shown 1928. Serial No. 268,945.

my improvements embodied in a loom of the pick and pick type, having a plurality of drop boxes at each end thereof. A lay 20 is mounted to swing forward and rearward in a loom frame 21 and is provided with drop boxes 22 (Fig. 1) at the left hand end of the lay and with drop boxes 23 Fig. 3) at the right hand end of the lay. Weft replenishing mechanism (not shown) is provided adjacent the drop boxes 23 at;

the right hand or magazine side of the loom.

My improved thread cutter comprises a pair of spaced parallel jaws or blades 24 (Figs. 9 and 10) mounted in a slot 25 in the lay 20 and pivoted at 26 in said slot. A single jaw or blade 28 is mounted to swing between the jaws or blades 24 and is pivoted at 29 on a bracket 30 mounted at the rear of the lay 20 and. movable therewith. The cutter blade 28 is provided with a hook-shaped or under-cut upward projection 82 at its forward end, for a purpose to be described.

The cutter blade 28 has a rearwardly extending portion (Fig. 7) provided with a roll 34, positioned for engagement by the elongated, forwardly-extending portion 35 of an actuating lever 36, pivoted at 37 on a bracket 38 (Fig. secured to the loom frame 21. The lever 36 also has an elongated rearwardly extending portion 39, which overhangs the usual crankshaft 40 by which I the lay is operated.

A collar 42 (Fig. 4) is clamped to the crankshaft 40 and is provided with a projection 44 (Fig. 5), extending radially outward from the collar 42 and having a movable arm 45 pivoted at 46 thereon. A spring plunger 48 (Fig. 6) is mounted on the projection 44 and yieldingly engages the movable arm 45 in one or the other of two shallow recesses 49 (Fig. 4) in the adjacent surface thereof. Stops 50 on the sides of the projection 44 limit the swinging movement ofthe arm 45. i

When said arm 45 is rotated in the full line position indicated in Fig. 4, the outer end of the arm will engage a cam portion Cal therewith. This causes depression of the forwardly extending portion of the lever 36, with a consequent operation of the cutter jaws as indicated in Figs. 8 and 9.

After the arm 4-5 has passed the enlarged cam portion 52 of the lever 36, the arm enters a recess 5% (Fig. and thereafter engages an end portion 56 of the lever, which is offset obliquely. Such engagement acts to return the arm do to its initial or inoperative position after a single operation of the cutter.

I will now describe the mechanism for controlling the operation of my improved cutter. This control is preferably direct from the weft detecting mechanism of the loom and for this purpose I provide a detector 60 (Fig. 1) of the side-slip type, adapted to project a pin (32 into the path of slide (53 which is regularly and intermittently actuated by a cam (3% on the bottom or cam shaft of the loom. The pin 62 is mounted in a member 66, pivoted at G7 to an arm (38 on the shaft 69 by which an indication of weft exhaustion is communicated to the weft replenishing mechanism. The weft detector and the connections thereof in themselves form no part of my present invention.

An arm 70 (Fig. 2) is secured to the shaft 69 and is connected by a link 71, bell crank 72 and link 73 (Fig. 3) to a lever 74: (Fig. 7) mounted on a fixed pivot 75 and having an upwardly extending offset portion 76. lVhen the parts are in normal running position, the portion 76 is out of the path of the rotating arm 45, but when the weft detector operates to rock the indicating shaft (39, the arm 76 is swung into the path of the rotating arm L5 and moves the same from the dotted line to the full line position shown in Fig. i, in which latter position the end of the arm will en age the cam portion 52 of the lever 36 and thus cause actuation of the thread cutter.

After a single actuation, as previously stated, the end of the arm 4&5 will enter the recess 54 (Fig. 4) and will be thereafter engaged by the offset portion 56 of the lever 36, thus restoring the arm 4:5 to inoperative position.

The normal position of the cutter parts is as shown in Fig. 7, with a spring 80 holding said cutter parts inactix e in the slot 25 of the lay 20. The weft ends extending to the inactive shuttles have been beaten up by the reed 82 and are now positioned near the fell of the cloth, while the weft end W of the active shuttle has just been laid some distance to the rear of the ends W.

The parts are so timed that the cutter jaws will begin their movement from the position show '11 in Fig. 7 to that shown in Figs. 8 and 9, just as soon as the shuttle has passed the cutting mechanism, and preferably before the shuttle is completely boxed. The operation of the cutter is substantially con1 pleted before the loom reaches front center, at about which point transfer commonly occurs.

As the cutter aws are swung upward, the weft ends W are out of the path of the blade 2 and are not caught between the cutting jaws, but the weft end W of the bobbin about to be ejected is engaged by the jaws 24 and is swung forward against the hookshaped projection of the blade 28, by which engagement the weft is severed.

Having thus described my invention, it will be seen that I have provided an extremely simple mechanism under the control of the weft detector by which the weft will be severed as the indicated shuttle is boxed, the mechanism being reset to inoperative position after a single actuation thereof, and the parts operating before the beating up of the freshly inserted weft, so that the weft from the indicated shuttle is readily separated from the weft ends extending to the inactive shuttles.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is 1. In a loom, a lay, a thread cutter mounted on the lay, a controlling member therefor, an actuator for said controlling member having a continuous movement of rotation and also movable to operative and inoperative positions relative to said member, and a weft detector connected to move said actuator to operative position upon indication of weft exhaustion.

2. In a. loom, a lay, a thread cutter mounted on the lay, a controlling member therefor, an actuator for said controlling member movable to operative and inopera ive positions relative to said member, a weft detector connected to move said actuator to operative position upon indication of weft exhaustion, and means to yieldingly preserve the setting of said actuator until said cutter is operated.

8. In a loom, a lay, a thread cutter mounted on the lay, a controlling member therefor, an actuator for said controlling member movable to operative and inoperative positions relative to said member, a weft detector connected to move said actuator to operative position upon indication of weft exhaustion, means to yieldingly preserve the setting of said actuator until said cutter is operated, and means to thereafter restore said actuator to inoperative position after a single operation of said cutter.

4. In a loom, a lay, a thread cutter having jaws pivoted on spaced centers on said lay, said jaws having an operative connection with each other, whereby said jaws move in opposite angular directions when one of said jaws is actuated, and means to move one of said jaws uponindication of weft exhaustion. 5. In a loom, a lay, a thread cutter having aws pivoted on spaced centers on said lay, said jaws having a pin and slot connection with each other, whereby said jaws move in opposite angular directions when one of said 16 jaws is actuated, and means to move one of said jaws upon indication of weft exhaustion.

6. In a loom, a lay, a thread cutter having jaws pivoted on spaced centers on said lay, said jaws having an operative connection with each other, whereby said jaws move in opposite angular directions when one of said jaws is actuated, and means to move one of said jaws upon indication of weft exhaus- 29 tion, said moving means comprising a camactunted lever mounted on a iixed pivot and having an elongated forwardly extending arm engaging a rearwardly extended portion of one of said jaws. 7. In a loom, a lay, a thread cutter having jaws pivoted on spaced centers on said lay, said jaws having an operative connection with each other, whereby said aws move in opposite angular directions when one of said 3 jaws is actuated, and means to move one of said jaws upon indication of weft exhaustion, one of said jaws having an upward thread-engaging projection at its swinging end. 8. In a loom, a lay, a thread cutter mounted thereon, a controlling member forming a part of the operative connections thereto, and an actuator for said member, said actuator effecting an operative movement of said 40 member and cutter, and said controlling member thereupon rendering said actuator inoperative after a single actuation of said cutter.

9. In a loom, a thread cutter mounted on the lay, a controlling member mounted upon a fixed center, a crankshaft, an actuator for said controlling member mounted on said crankshaft, a weft detector, and connections from said weft detector to said actuator,

whereby said actuator is rendered operative upon indication of weft exhaustion.

10. In a loom, a thread cutter mounted on the lay, a controlling member mounted upon a fixed center, a crankshaft, an actuator for said controlling member mounted on said crankshaft, said actuator having a portion movable to operative and inoperative positions, yielding means to hold said movable portion in operative position, and

means to re-set said movable portion in inoperative position after a single operation of said cutter.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

SAMUEL A. NELSON. 

